Posted Friday November 16, 2018 by Melissa Reilly

Hi everyone, another month is almost over and if you can believe it, Christmas plans are starting to creep in!

Last weekend, I attended the South Lanarkshire Environmental Volunteering Network meeting other voluntary groups in the area. It was a really good chance to hear from other voluntary groups in the local area, like the Friends of Langlands Moss and the work they have done in recent years to develop the local nature reserve. We also visited the nearby Cadzow Glen in Hamilton, a real ‘hidden gem’ with some beautiful sculptures!

The working week started with a a very special visitor! Santa himself popped by Castlebank Park to help us launch this year’s Lanark Winterfest programme. The Development Trust have compiled the calendar of local events and produced the programmes since 2015, with the publication growing in popularity every year! This year’s programme features over 40 festive events taking place in Lanark in November and December, with something for all ages to enjoy. Click here to read more about the festival’s events.

On Tuesday, the volunteers at Castlebank Park were busy working on the Long Border area in the terraced gardens. We have recently gained our ‘Volunteer Friendly’ award, and are always looking for new volunteers to join us on a Tuesday and Thursday in the park. It’s a very informal, drop-in arrangement and you can commit as much time as you desire. To find out more please email melissa@lanark.co.uk

On Friday, I attended the Development Trust’s Quarterly Board Meeting where we discussed the Trust’s current portfolio of projects.

One last point to add, we are hosting free ‘Dementia Friends’ training at Castlebank Horticultural Centre for our volunteers and board members. We have a few spaces left for one session and would like to open these up to anyone in the local community interested in taking part in the training to find out more about the condition and living well with dementia. The session is taking place on Thursday 6th December (10am-11am). If you would like to reserve a place, please email melissa@lanark.co.uk

I’d love to hear if you have any ideas to improve the town, projects you would like the Development Trust to consider or if you would like to get involved with existing projects in any way. You can also get in touch if you have local events or community initiatives you’d like the Development Trust to consider sharing on our social media pages. Please feel free to email me with any suggestions or ideas at Melissa@lanark.co.uk

We rely on your support and donations to be able to continue delivering community projects. You can click the ‘Donate’ button below to send a donation via PayPal or why not think about becoming a member of the Development Trust to support more regularly? We are a charitable, non-profit body which carries out projects for the common good. Our aspiration is to develop and deliver priority community projects which have a social, environmental and economic impact. Any support would be greatly appreciated!